Jägermonster
A Jägermonster (or member of the Jägerkin, but usually just Jäger) is a construct created by the older Heterodyne generations to serve as military personnel. Jäger physiology Jägerkin have a broadly humanoid appearance, although in general they’re rather ... odd ... looking and unlikely to be confused with unmodified humans. Specifically, they usually sport skin and hair in non-traditional colors, as well as claws and very sharp teeth. They are created by some Spark-ish process that hasn’t been fully described yet, but is said to involve consumption of some infernal potion. According to one Q&A session with the FogliosSee this fantastic report from San Diego Comic Con 2008., only the very best and strongest soldiers were chosen to become Jägerkin and not all of them survived the process. Out of every ten who downed the bräu, only one or two survived and flourished. Most subjects died right away, but a few unlucky ones went mad or suffered such horrible effects that they begged for death! Most Jägers are also very long-lived, with the oldest among them approximately 600-700 years old. Also according to the same source, this process does not change their genetics, only their appearance. Any Jäger offspring would simply be human. Jägers have a highly-developed sense of smell, which comes in handy in a great many settings; for example, some of them are able to instantly Agatha out as a Heterodyne, and much later, after Gil zaps the clanks commanded by Rudolf Selnikov, they are able to that he’s been hit in the battle, although Gil shows no obvious signs of damage. They also are and have . Beyond even their powerful loyalty, there appears to be a physiological and psychological bond between the Jägers and the Heterodyne bloodline. The first clue the Jägers provide to Agatha's heritage is the by several of them that "she schmells verra nize." When they and Agatha first cross paths in Beetleburg, the intensity of the Jägers' reaction to Agatha's scent surprises even them, and it is not entirely clear at what point it is explicitly realized by the resident Jägers who she is, though the Jägergenerals in residence on Castle Wulfenbach are able to tell instantly upon her re-directed personal belongings. (Of course, the fact that her things are brought to them in the first place indicates someone has his suspicions..) This seems to indicate a strong link to the Heterodynes that is built directly into Jäger biology. Jägers, as has been seen and , typically can gain one of many physical mutations as they are reborn as Jägerkin, in addition to the common traits such as the pointy teeth; these include things like General Khrizhan's tusks and Mamma Gkika's color-changing skin. While Jägers do not appear to die of old age, they can undergo further physical mutations as they grow older, Captain Vole. Jäger sociology Jägerkin are or by most people (though in Mechanicsburg Jägers are a ), for several reasons. For starters, they’re fearsome hand-to-hand fighters (the name, after all, translates roughly as “hunter monster”) who can both and extraordinary amounts of damage. For another, they’re usually associated with some of the Heterodynes prior to Bill and Barry, most memories of them involving . And of course, there’s the entire Hyde-monster mystique, and their , which seems to be greatly exaggerated. In terms of cuisine, Jägers also have an unusual connection to their hats, considering them a status symbol — the first bit of Jäger wisdom revealed in the comic is “Any plan where you lose your hat is a bad plan”"One of plans.". Likewise, hats have been an object of jealousy in the Jägershots cartoons, , and even suitable potential Heterodyne suitors.One was a part of the Munchkin card game. Foglio illustrated “Magnificent Hat” for the third expansion, “Clerical Errors”. When the comic proper starts, the Jägerkin are employed (and thereby protected) by Baron Wulfenbach for use as troops. They serve the Baron willingly enough, although they make noises about the lack of consistent fun, i.e. big fights. This lack of action may be explain why all the Jägers of the lovely and highly dangerous Von Pinn. There are also (very few) wild Jägers, a subset of Jägerkin who volunteered to stay separate from the pack and search across the world for their Masters, so they could of undying loyalty to the Heterodynes. The four Wild Jägerkin encountered in the comic are Jenka (with her bear Füst), Dimo, Maxim, and Ognian, who has family imprisoned by the Sturmvorauses in Sturmhalten. Jägers think very highly of themselves and most of them have pretty big egos. Given their history, their status with the Heterodynes, and superhuman abilities, this is understandable. Furthermore, they think they look . They also think they’re very popular “vit de vimmin”, which isn’t as farfetched as it sounds. Jägers also love to , but they're "fuzzy" on the rules involved. Important Jäger concepts *'Jägerbräu' — a potion designed by Vlad "the Blasphemous" Heterodyne"The Jägermonsters", p. 14 that transforms a human into a Jäger. Note that this alone is not sufficient to make one a Jäger. *'Jägertroth' — an oath of loyalty to the Heterodyne family; may also include a sort of code of conduct for Jägers. This oath is explicitly voluntary, and in fact precedes the consumption of the Jägerbräu - which is also explicitly voluntary. *'Jägergenerals ' — Jägerkin have a pecking order among themselves, organized more or less like an army. At the top of this is a (currently) septumvirate of generals, including General Khrizhan, General Zog, und General Goomblast, and Mamma Gkika. *'Secrecy' — A Jäger’s physiology is considered proprietary information reserved only for the Heterodynes. If they need medical attention, no matter how life-threatening, a Jäger will allow only a Heterodyne to work on them. Failing that, they rely on help from other Jägers. This has remained true even while working under the Baron, though as Mamma Gkika learns at one point, the Baron has managed to pry out at least some of their secrets. *'Mamma Gkika's' — Hidden underneath Mechanicsburg is a combination bar, bordello, and medical facility for Jägers, where Mamma Gkika and her girls tend to those who are too injured to fight. *'Hats' - As discussed above, Jägerkin take their headgear very seriously. It has been indicated that the occasional Jäger has been seen wearing . Some do appear to take hats less seriously than others though as observed by Jenka and general Dimo who change hats deep underneath a city, home to a garish and awful tower, Paris. *'De Deal' - When the Jägers took service with the Baron, they agreed to stay out of Mechanicsburg until a Heterodyne was again in residence. The Baron hoped to mold them into less terrifying agents of slaughter and the records of their past in Mechanicsburg were considered a bad example.Agatha H. and the Voice of the Castle, page 71, footnote 16. Schpellingk und Tings dat Talk Fonny Jägers, Jägerkin, Jägermonsters, have all been used to refer to at one point or another. Jäger, the German word for hunter, is both singular and plural and does not take an “s” on the end. Since this looks wrong in English, the “s” is often added anyway. The German-looking plural Jägermonstern has been used as well from to time(although in actual German, this is just dative plural; in the three other cases (nominative, genitive and accusative) Jägermonster would be the plural form as well). Jaeger is also used when typing for speed or when ä''' (Alt-0228 or HTML ä) is not available. But hu carez ’bout dot schtuff? Hiz not like der Jägerkin are all dot beeg on anyvay. Now you too can speak like a Jägerkin, with Santiago’s Jagerizer. Once you get used to the language, you can browse the web using the language. Jägerkin in the story tend to speak with an exaggerated German-like accent, which seems reasonable enough considering German is the lingua Europa. Their speech may be heavily seasoned by an older Mechanicsburg or Eastern European dialect. (Or maybe it's the pointy teeth...) There are examples of apparently un-modified natives of Mechanicsburg who speak in the same accent. Though perhaps the Jägerkin themselves are the source of the accent and it proliferated to their un-modified human relatives and neighbors. The Works The Works has a card (four copies) depicting a pack of '''Jägermonsters. They are also Mad, Soldiers, and Constructs, of course. There's also one for Jorgi by himself. Possibly relevant outside information "Jäger Monster" is also the name of a drink, based on Jägermeister liquor. See How to Make the Jaeger Monster Mixed Drink for mixing instructions. Serve with hat. Another fun one is a shot of Jägermeister and a Monster energy drink, which is popularly referred to as a Jägerbomb. "Jäger" is also the name of a group of military units, especially sharpshooters, of the Germany Imperial Army during the 18th and 19th centuries. In the 20th and 21st centuries, German-speaking countries have used the term for what in English are called special-operations troops (elites trained for stealth insertion, psychological warfare, and deniable assassinations). This usage has parallels in other languages; in Spanish-speaking countries SpecOps troops are often tagged "cazadores" which is the Spanish word for hunters. A regiment in the Royal Netherlands Army called Garderegiment Grenadiers en Jagers was formed by combining two regiments, one called Jagers. The Jager regiment had a motto of Allez Chasse!, literally Let's hunt!. See also *Secret Blueprints: The Jägermonsters *Jägershots Category:Jägermonsters Category:Characters from Mechanicsburg